Port of Everett Celebrates the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day

Post Date:04/08/2020 11:46 AM

Wednesday, April 1:

It may be April Fool’s Day, but public health and safety is no joke! The Port of Everett’s Annual Marina Cleanup Day has been POSTPONED until it’s safe to once again gather together with our community. Instead, we have opted to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day with you by sharing posts throughout the month of April demonstrating the many ways the Port pitches in to restore, protect, and enhance our environment every day. Follow along with us!

Thursday, April 2:

#30daysofGREEN Day2 - Environmental stewardship is an integral part of the Port of Everett’s strategic goals and is an underlying focus of what the Port does and how it operates. A strong emphasis is placed on remediating, protecting and enhancing the environment while carrying out our mission of growing the local economy. The Port takes a multi-faceted approach to improving, protecting and reducing its environmental impacts.

Friday, April 3:

#30daysofGREEN Day3 - DID YOU KNOW? Since the early-2000s, the Port of Everett has invested more than $33 million to cleanup historic contamination at the waterfront. The Port’s efforts, guided by the State’s Puget Sound Initiative and regulated by our partners at the State Department of Ecology, represents 212 acres of waterfront now clean or under cleanup action. The Port is restoring these former mill sites into sustainable, 21st Century job producing hubs to support trade and industry at the working waterfront, and residential, hospitality and recreation at the destination waterfront.

Saturday, April 4:

#30daysofGREEN Day4 - Adding to its portfolio of water quality programs at the Marina, the Port of Everett has launched a Seabin pilot program to test out new, innovative industry technology. One of the first of its kind to be installed in Washington state, the Port’s new Seabin located at Guest Dock 5 supports collection of microplastics and debris from our waters. It looks and acts as a floating garbage that moves up and down with the tide to collect and filter out floating debris 24/7. Its submersible water pump sucks water in from the surface, passes it through a catch bag inside of the device and pumps filtered water back into the Marina, leaving any floating litter, oil sheen and ocean plastics as small as two millimeters inside of the catch bag for proper disposal. The program has proved successful to date and has created a new educational opportunity with students at Everett Community College’s Ocean Research College Academy who have partnered with us to collect, catalog, sample and study collected materials.

#30daysofGREEN Day5 - The Port of Everett cares about its carbon footprint. We actively work with other Puget Sound ports to ensure we continue to collectively meet federal air quality standards and implement emission reduction measures. A recent report compiled by the Puget Sound Maritime Air Forum shows maritime-related air pollutant emissions decreased in nearly every sector between 2005 and 2016. Results showed that air pollutant emissions decreased by up to 97%, depending on the type, including 69% for fine particles, which are harmful to human health. Learn more at http://www.portofeverett.com/Home/Components/News/News/3564/263

Monday, April 6:

#30daysofGREEN Day6 - Environmental remediation has proved to be an economic success supporting key industries and jobs at the Port of Everett Riverside Business Park. The Port purchased the 85-acre property from The Weyerhaeuser Company in 1998, who operated its Mill B on the site from 1915 through the 1980’s. As part of the Port’s mission to create economic opportunities and jobs, the Port envisioned the creation of an industrial park on the site that would do just that. Over the years, the Port continued to make improvements to the site, including a major cleanup removing legacy contamination, bringing in thousands of cubic yards of clean fill to raise the site out of floodplain levels and constructing infrastructure to support future site development including roadways, utilities, viewpoints and trails and adding native riparian landscape plantings. Today, the site supports 800 jobs and serve a variety of light-industrial users, representing regional essential service functions from aerospace supply chain to trucking and distribution.

Tuesday, April 7:

#30daysofGREEN Day7 - A robust recycling program is incorporated into the daily operations at the Port with everything from recycled supplies to recycling stations at all facilities. The Port has more than 20 standard recycling stations that collect a variety of materials including aluminum, glass, paper and cardboard. Materials collected at each site vary depending on the needs associated with each location. The Port also makes a conscious effort to recycle all used tires and use recycled materials for its construction projects when feasible.

Wednesday, April 8:

#30daysofGREEN Day8 - Ever wonder what’s going on with the vacant Bay Wood property north of the former Nord Door on West Marine View Drive? Beginning this fall, the Port of Everett, in partnership with the Department of Ecology (Ecology), plans to kick off a shoreline cleanup and restoration at the site. Ecology is funding 90% of the $1.5 million project that sets out to restore 1,600 lineal feet of shoreline to create new, protected habitat for salmon and other native wildlife and, with the support of the future site developer, bring public access to the site for the first time with a short trail leading to a look out to enjoy views of the new shoreline and Port Gardner Bay. The project also provides for a shoreline buffer reduction with 2,600 lineal feet of buffer enhancements. In turn, this allows the site to be developed to support a light industrial use that will create 300 direct jobs, 1,000 indirect jobs and generate $330,000 a year in state and local taxes.

Thursday, April 9:

#30daysofGREEN Day9

What’s a GREEN way to get rid of unwanted green…? Call in the goats! We’re throwing it back to a time when vegetation overgrowth at the Port’s Riverside Business Park warranted a special kind of removal. These four-legged animals from Rent-a-Ruminant LLC have the uncanny ability to eat a variety of vegetation which negates the need to physically remove any of the overgrowth. Once eaten, the goats sterilize any weed seed in the digestive process making the seeds infertile and providing a green solution to eliminate problematic vegetation areas.

Friday, April 10:

#30daysofGREEN Day10

Between 2006 and 2015, the Port of Everett completed a fast-paced, innovative cleanup program across its 65-acre destination waterfront to support brownfield redevelopment at the site now dubbed Waterfront Place. The Port, working in partnership with the Department of Ecology, divided the 65 acres into six separate cleanup sites to systematically deliver the cleanups on schedules that dove-tailed with site development. The $25 million in investment resulted in removal of nearly 150,000 tons of contaminated soil, remediation of several contaminated groundwater plumes, dredging of contaminated sediment from the bay, and removal of failing bulkheads and other old creosote treated wood structures. The most visual transformation took place at the former Everett Shipyard site, now home to Fisherman’s Harbor with new public access, hospitality and coming residential, restaurants and retail.

Saturday, April 11:

#30daysofGREEN Day11

Investing in clean energy vehicles and equipment is part of the Port of Everett’s comprehensive effort to protect air quality and reduce its overall carbon footprint. The Port’s “green fleet” features major cargo handling equipment that support the movement of $21 - $30 BILLION in imports and exports annually. This includes electric gantry cranes that produce zero emissions and various yard equipment like forklifts and reachstackers that make use of ultra-low sulfur diesel and diesel oxidation catalysts. The Port also utilizes hybrid vehicles among its fleet of security, administration, marina and maintenance divisions.

Sunday, April 12:

#30daysofGREEN Day12

Last year the Port of Everett reached a momentous and comprehensive agreement with the Port Gardner Bay Trustees to invest in and restore 353 acres of salmon habitat at Blue Heron Slough located in the tidelands between north Everett and south Marysville. The project started grabbing the attention of many I-5 travelers as a “mystery mound” began to form on the east side of the freeway late last year. The mound represents a protective dike constructed in an effort to create various channels and tidal areas to make up the critical habitat environment. Once construction activity resumes in the State, Port partner Wildlands and contractor Dungeness will continue to focus on major earth work with the goal of completing all the interior earth work in preparation of breaching of the old agricultural dikes in 2021 to finish development of the wetland. The project doubles as a mitigation bank to expedite economic development in our region.

Monday, April 13:

#30daysofGREEN Day13

Last year, the Port achieved a vital step in reducing congestion on I-5 while continuing to efficiently move freight in the region. The Port received designation by the U.S. Secretary of Transportation as a Federal Maritime Administration Marine Highway Project for the Puget Sound Container on Barge Service under the America’s Marine Highway Program. The Port is one of 25 marine highway projects in the nation, and at the time of designation, was the only marine project designation on the West Coast. The Port is working in partnership with the Northwest Seaport Alliance (Ports of Seattle and Tacoma) to stand up container on barge service for cargo movement between these ports.

Tuesday, April 14:

#30daysofGREEN Day14

The Port of Everett Marina is a certified Clean Marina, holding designation at the highest level – the Leadership Award – since program inception in 2007. The Port earns its title by conducting operations with the goal of protecting the environment, reducing and properly managing hazardous waste, educating boaters on clean boating practices, demonstrating innovative and environmental leadership, protecting salmon, shellfish and other valuable resources and improving safety and working conditions at the Port.

Wednesday, April 15:

#30daysofGREEN Day15

The Port of Everett is committed to preserving, restoring and enhancing wildlife habitat; Port-owned Jetty Island is a prime example of this effort. Know by most as a hub for recreation, the 1,500-acre manmade island doubles as a thriving wildlife preserve supporting natural habitat for many species, includ­ing Juvenile salmon, waterfowl, bald eagles and more. The island was created more than a century ago with dredge sands from the Snohomish River. Through the Port’s local sponsorship of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers maintenance dredg­ing program for the river, whenever possible, additional clean river sediment is beneficially placed on the is­land to support habitat enhancement. The Port partners with local non-profit EarthCorps to monitors the human impact on Jetty Island’s ecosystem and conducts regular cleanups.

Another fun fact: the island is completely natural with no plumb­ing or utilities at the site. A portable restroom is barged over during the summer months for beach goers! We sure are looking forward to sunnier days!

Thursday, April 16:

#30daysofGREEN Day16

Port of Everett has award-winning environmental stewardship - the latest award came last spring when the Port of Everett earned rare industry recognition as the sole recipient of the Washington Public Ports Association 2019 Environmental Project of the Year Award for its innovative achievements with Dredge Material Management. While not a well-known topic to most people, dredging for navigation is vitally important to the work that Ports do and it is done with the highest level of care for the environment. The Port’s winning project developed new scientific methods by the Port’s environmental team and gained approval from the Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Department of Ecology and Department of Natural Resources – the new methodology is transferable across the Port and dredging industry, and helps solve highly challenging dredge approval process facing ports industry-wide, while ensuring the protection and improvement of a healthy Puget Sound.

The Port of Everett is preparing to take on its final phase of environmental cleanup in the northeast corner of Waterfront Place at the former Ameron-Hulbert industrial manufacturing site. The project sets out to remediate legacy contamination left behind from years of operation, and in turn, spurs opportunity for redevelopment of the former Ameron pole manufacturing facility to support the next generation of maritime business at the site. Cleanup work is anticipated to be executed this coming winter.

Saturday, April 18:

#30daysofGREEN Day18

As the Port of Everett builds out its 65-acre mixed-use development at Waterfront Place, the Port’s sustainable design continues to be implemented, including installation of innovative end-of-pipe filtration systems at every combined sewer outfall. The treatment systems, known as modular wetlands, are designed to act like natural wetlands, filtering out typical, but environmentally harmful, roadway contaminants such as heavy metals, greases, oils, tire rubber, and other urban contaminants. To date, through collaboration with our partners at The Department of Ecology, City of Everett and Puget Sound Partnership, the first set of these units have been installed making for an even cleaner waterfront environment for our community and marine wildlife.

Sunday, April 19:

#30daysofGREEN Day19

Nearly two decades ago, the Port of Everett constructed the 24-acre Union Slough, a restoration project as mitigation for development of the Port’s Pacific Terminal at the international seaport. The site has since provided mitigation for several Port projects, including construction of the North Docks which added 220-slips to the Marina in 2007. Today, aquatic bird life, Dungeness crab, juvenile salmonids and many other forms of wildlife and plant life are now observed on what was once a diked agricultural field. Working with the volunteer organization EarthCorps, the Port monitors the human impact on its Union Slough restoration ecosystems and conducts regular volunteer work parties (currently suspended due to COVID-19) at the site to ensure continued success of this restoration project.

Monday, April 20:

#30daysofGREEN Day20

The Port of Everett is a certified Green Marine seaport. Green Marine is an environmental certification program for the North American marine industry that is voluntary, transparent and inclusive. The program addresses key environmental issues through 12 performance indicators, and includes shipowners, ports, terminals, seaway corporations, and shipyards. To maintain certification, the Port benchmarks its annual environmental performance through the program’s self-evaluation guides, has its results verified by an accredited external verifier, and agrees to publish our individual results. Being a member of Green Marine since 2017, the Port has expressed and has continued to uphold its commitment to the environment.

Tuesday, April 21:

#30daysofGREEN Day21

With operation of the largest public marina on the West Coast, it’s important that the Port of Everett does its part to promote and facilitate the proper disposal of waste. With 10 pump-outs located throughout the Marina, commercial and recreational boaters can conveniently do just that. Check out the available pump-out locations on this Marina map here.

Wednesday, April 22:

#30daysofGREEN Day22

Happy 50th Anniversary of EarthDay! At the Port of Everett, we are proud to serve as environmental stewards of this beautiful shoreline! Around the globe and here locally we are facing unprecedented, trying times, but we are thankful for living in a clean and thriving waterfront community. If you head out for a walk and some fresh air today (with social distancing of course), take in the sights around you, capture your view, share it and tag us!

Thursday, April 23:

#30daysofGREEN Day23

In 2020, the Port of Everett is working with The Weyerhaeuser Company and the Washington State Department of Ecology to conduct a study that will determine the range of cleanup options for Weyerhaeuser’s former Mill A site that encompasses the Port’s South and Pacific Terminal berths at the Seaport, and the surrounding bay. The contamination in review stems from the former mill operations on site, and the study will present the options for cleaning it up. The Port is targeting cleanup to commence by 2024, once Ecology has decided on the final cleanup plan, the engineering design is complete, and necessary permits are in hand.

Friday, April 24:

#30daysofGREEN Day24

Flashback to April 2017, when over 25 Naval Station Everett (NSE) sailors and civilian personnel volunteered to help restore habitat at the Port of Everett’s Union Slough along the Snohomish River. Volunteers spent the day removing blackberry bushes and other invasive plant species and turning the uprooted plants into compost to improve growth for native plants. #flashbackfriday

Saturday, April 25:

#30daysofGREEN Day25

Oil and gas products, including gasoline, diesel, and hydraulic fluids, are toxic to marine life, including fish, crab, and the local seals who frequent the marina. The Port of Everett maintains oil spill response trailers and disposal sites throughout its facilities, in each marina basin and at the Port of Everett Seaport facilities.

Sunday, April 26:

#30daysofGREEN Day26

Have you seen the Port of Everett boatyard facilities? The Port has invested more than $12 million into the six-acre, state-of-the-art, environmentally sound boatyard. As the region’s most modern facility, the Port’s boatyard eliminates contaminated run-off from directly entering the Puget Sound.

Monday, April 27:

#30daysofGREEN Day27

Stormwater management is an integral part of the Port of Everett’s environmental programs. To maintain proper stormwater quality, the Port employs treatment systems, routine monitoring, inspections, and best management practices at its Seaport and Marina facilities. Over at the Seaport, the Port utilizes a vegetated bio-filtration swale that acts as a natural filtration system to treat stormwater runoff by allowing solids and contaminants to settle from the water column.

Tuesday, April 28:

#30daysofGREEN Day28

DID YOU KNOW? The Port of Everett constructed Edgewater Beach at the South Everett/Mukilteo border as a habitat mitigation project related to construction of the Port’s satellite shipping facility Mount Baker Terminal. The restoration added 1,100 lineal feet of beach material on the east side of the terminal, while also enhancing beach access with paths, benches, picnic tables and a parking lot. The restoration proved to be an environmental success when environmental review determined the site to be flourishing with juvenile salmon, forage fish and numerous water birds shortly after completion.

Wednesday, April 29:

#30daysofGREEN Day29

The Washington State Department of Ecology has been an instrumental agency in helping the Port reach successful environmental cleanups on the Everett waterfront. The Port and Ecology’s strong focus on cleaning up the Everett waterfront, has facilitated the cleanup and revitalization efforts across the waterfront, most notably at the Riverside Business Park and Waterfront Place Central. The Port is partnering with Ecology on other critical projects as well, such as the former Kimberly-Clark mill site, Bay Wood/Preston Point, and the International Seaport. In areas where cleanups have been completed, the waterfront environment and economy is more healthy and vibrant, and boasts new extensive public access features. The Port thanks the Department of Ecology and its staff for their strong commitment to Everett and its long standing partnership with the Port of Everett and our community.

Thursday, April 30:

#30daysofGREEN Day30

After nearly a decade sitting idle, the former Kimberly-Clark mill site is slated to transform into a sustainable, 21st Century maritime hub to support the next generation of jobs and commerce at the working waterfront. This comes as a result of the Port of Everett’s recent acquisition of the property which effectively resulted in Kimberly-Clark moving forward with an already planned second Interim Cleanup Action under their agreement with the Department of Ecology, and the removal of crushed material at the site using methods approved by the Snohomish Health District. The multi-million dollar project sets out to clean and decommission exposed shoreline pipes, remove and properly dispose of an estimated 12,000 tons of contaminated soil (45,000 tons of contaminated soil was removed in the first IAC) and remove and properly dispose of an estimated 180,000 to 200,000 tons of crushed material. An estimated 400 temporary construction jobs will be supported as a result. Cleanup officially kicked off in March 2020, and is expected to be completed by the end of the year. This project is critical as it represents the first step toward restoring jobs to the vacant site and strengthening our economy. Upon completion, the Port stands ready to put the site back into productive use to support near-term maritime operations and jobs, including construction of a cargo terminal. In addition to the economic benefits of the cargo terminal, the construction plan will integrate with the cleanup and provide significant benefits to the final cleanup of the uplands by providing an expansive low permeability cap that will protect groundwater quality and the Puget Sound. This critical asset is strategically located in the heart of the Port’s federally secure, urban deep-water maritime complex. The working waterfront has and continues to be under significant growth pressure, and the protection of port and maritime operations is mission critical to our area’s economic stability now more than ever. To learn more about the project, visit www.portofeverett.com/millstomaritime.

#30daysofGREEN Day 30

The Washington State Department of Ecology has been an instrumental agency in helping the Port reach successful environmental cleanups on the Everett waterfront. The Port and Ecology’s strong focus on cleaning up the Everett waterfront, has facilitated the cleanup and revitalization efforts across the waterfront, most notably at the Riverside Business Park and Waterfront Place Central. The Port is partnering with Ecology on other critical projects as well, such as the former Kimberly-Clark mill site, Bay Wood/Preston Point, and the International Seaport. In areas where cleanups have been completed, the waterfront environment and economy is more healthy and vibrant, and boasts new extensive public access features. The Port thanks the Department of Ecology and its staff for their strong commitment to Everett and its long standing partnership with the Port of Everett and our community.